Be Mine
by doodlelover
Summary: After killing Itachi, Sasuke comes back to Konoha and realizes his feelings for his teammates. Both of them. The only problem...How do you make two people fall in love with you? SasuNaruSasu, SasuSaku, NaruSaku, SasuSakuNaru.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello to you! Well this story has been floating around in my head for as long as I can remember...and I just gotta post it. I haven't posted it on my other site...so view this as just a little preview. I don't when I'll post up the next chapter. I suppose if I get a positive response I'll post it up...**

**WARNINGS: Everything with anyone is in here. So, if you dislike SasuNaru, SasuSaku, NaruSaku, NaruSasu, SakuSasu, SakuNaru, SasuSakuNaru, NaruSakuSasu, SasuNaruSaku...then you better leave right now. Because there is gonna be a LOT of that. Sakura haters should leave too...I understand why you hate her, I do. I just interpret hate mail about Sakura as hate mail for my story (sweatdrop) so I feel sad afterwards...**

**And if you dislike Yaoi...Why are you even here? Go away! You've been warned. There is gonna be hot, steamy, sweaty, sexy, guyxguy smex here! So if that's not your thing...Sorry. Oh, and maybe I'll get up the courage to write some Het. If not, then I'll either pass it up (not very likely) or get someone else to write it for me! (very likely)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...Why do you even ask? Kishimoto-sama hasn't got time to write all of this! This is only for us lonely little people with unsolved fantasies about fictional best friends doing each other! So there!**

**I hope you enjoy it! You better...**

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**BE MINE**

_He really did love them. Both of them, equally. It's just the thought of having to choose that's kept him from saying those things out loud for so long. That, and he didn't want to be judged for falling in love with two people, two separate, unique souls. _

_One beautiful, stunning, cute, and smart._

_The other, strong, handsome, adorable--in his own stupid way-- and idiotic._

_Both he loved to the ends of the earth. Both he wanted to keep safe. _

_But he ran before he could realize his feelings. Ran from them to have his own selfish goal achieved._

_In his selfish attempt to do that, he hurt both. Breaking the heart of one, and almost killing the other. _

_It's those things in life that he will never be able to forgive himself for. He will never be able or allow himself to forget._

_Because he wasn't going to let either of them go. _

**CHAPTER ONE **

Sasuke Uchiha stood a the border of Konoha, reminiscing on the few things that had happened in the past year.

One year he had been back. He now stood, a man of twenty-one, calmly looking over the city he banished himself from almost eight years ago. Nothing had changed in the village, all except the stone faces that now equaled five in total. Everything was the same, the school, the Hokage tower, the buildings, the trees, the paths...nothing changed. Even the time he had spent living for nothing but power, blocking out every image of his past, he remembered the picture of his home and the people that were massacred within it's walls. They were the only things he wanted to remember, the only things he allowed himself to. Everything else he blocked out for his gain.

But now, he needed to remember why he stayed here for so long. The things that kept him tied to his sanity.

Naruto.

Sakura.

His two sins. His two wholes.

When he came back, Sakura had welcomed him with open arms, something that he was grateful for. The bright smiling face was something he needed to see, even though it was that same expression he loathed when he was younger.

Naruto on the other hand...hadn't been too bright. He was still angry with him when he came back. The blonde was happy, but there was still some dark part of him that didn't trust Sasuke as much as he used to. They weren't around each other as much. There was always some distance between them.

He didn't want that...

_**--**_**X**_**--**_

Sasuke walked down the street nonchalantly, hands stuffed in his pockets and stoic expression in place. He scratched the bridge of his nose and headed toward the head of Konoha to get the details of the mission he was supposed to depart for twenty minutes ago.

Maybe training with Kakashi had finally rubbed off on him.

He craned his neck too see the looming Hokage tower above him. He began walking up the side of it. Sasuke dreaded and loved going to this place. He hated going on missions, because it meant being away from his home longer, but he loved it because...

"You're late, bastard!" Came the all to familiar insult.

"Haven't you been taught manners in all the years you've been alive?" he remarked back.

"That's no way to speak to me. Now apologize!" the huffy blonde crossed his arms and mock pouted.

Sasuke sighed while closing his eyes. Weren't they too old for this? "Oh, forgive me, Hokage-sama. I was wrong for trying to teach you to be civilized." He couldn't help the involuntary twitch of his lips when he seen the blonde's face redden from anger.

"What kind of half-ass apology is that, anyway?!" he yelled.

"Naruto, Sasuke, please. We need to get to the mission!"

Sasuke looked toward the door. Standing with all of her feminine beauty was Sakura. She glared at both of them and marched her way into the young Hokage's office. She placed a large stack of papers onto the desk and whapped Naruto in the head when he cursed.

The blonde laughed nervously and rubbed his head. "Right Sakura-chan, sorry." He cleared his throat and prepared to speak.

Sasuke interrupted the blonde. "You needed me for a mission, right? Why isn't anyone else here?"

Naruto scowled at being interrupted, but then smirked evilly after he finished his question. Sasuke felt unnerved by the wicked smile. "You, Sasuke, will be doing this mission alone."

Sasuke raised a brow. "I will, will I?"

"Yes." That smirk was still in place. "It'll be right here in the village, buddy! Now go get your shovel and head to that crazy woman with the evil cat!" he clapped Sasuke hard on the back, his robes swishing with the movement. Sasuke wondered how he managed to fit that hideous jumpsuit under there and not overheat.

"What?" he said incredulously at the blonde.

"Yup! Now go do your job!" he grinned and tried to shove the stoic man out the door. Sakura looked on with amusement, her green eyes gleamed.

"Ah! Hey, wait a minute!" Sasuke caught the door frame with both hands just before being shoved out of it. "What the hell do you mean by this! That's genin work!" he shouted back at Naruto, who was still trying to push him out.

"Yeah! And that's what you are! A genin!" he huffed through pushes. "No arguing with the Hokage! Out!" he pushed one final time and managed to get the bigger man out. He closed the door quickly and leaned against it, panting hardly.

"Naruto, don't you think that was a bit mean? You know that Sasuke's way above doing genin work." she scrutinized him. Her face scrunched up.

"Well, the bastard deserved it for being late! I had to send the others out already! I couldn't wait for him. How would that make me look?" he regained his breath and went to sit down. He smiled at Sakura. "So, Sakura, have any plans tonight?" he smirked suggestively.

She frowned. "No, Naruto. And I don't plan on making any." she turned and walked out, making no room for argument, as Naruto sagged in his chair.

"Damn. Gotta try harder!" he pulled back his sleeves dramatically and went to work on his paperwork, chicken scratching his way through the day's papers.

By the time he was done, the sun was setting and he was exhausted. He slumped back in his chair and sighed loudly, breaking the fragile silence. He fiddled with his pen and twisted it through his fingers, suddenly, he put pressure on it and it snapped in half. Naruto frowned.

The blonde stood and trudged his way to his bedroom. When he got there he opened the door roughly and slammed it with a heavy 'bang'.

Naruto stripped himself of his robes and stepped into his nightwear, jumping under the covers when he was done. He didn't bother taking a shower, he was too tired and too lazy at the moment. All he wanted to do was slip away into a dreamless sleep.

A knock at his window kept him from doing so.

"Argh! Go away, damn it!" he pulled his pillow over his ears and turned over, hoping to drown out the sound.

"Let me in you loser!"

Naruto shot up from his bed and went to the large window. "Sasuke?" he pulled back the drapes and let the man in. "What are you doing here?"

Sasuke leapt in and looked around. "Can I use your shower?" he asked out of nowhere.

Naruto looked at him strangely. "Use your own shower!"

Sasuke looked at him for the first time, and glared. "It's on the other side of the village and I don't want to walk in my house like this." he pointed to his muddy shoes and dirty clothes.

"And so you come to my house!" Naruto threw his arms up in exasperation and turned. "Dick. Bathroom's on the right." he scowled with his back turned and shoved his thumb in the right direction

Sasuke smirked. "I'm surprised you know where it is." And he left.

The blonde took a moment to process the thought. "Hey! Get back here! You're not using my shower now you asshole!" he was replied by the sound of running water. He glared, hoping to burn a hole through the walls and kill the bastard. When his attempt to burn his rival failed, he gave up and decided that cursing his pillow to hell was a better idea. After several minutes of damning Sasuke, he finally got the peaceful sleep he wanted.

_**--**_**X**_**--**_

Sasuke stepped into the cold air of Naruto's apartment while drying his hair, after finally completing his shower. He shivered as he walked into the blonde's room and was surprised when he wasn't met by a pillow to the face or something of the sorts. He quirked a brow when he heard the evened out breathing of the younger man.

Walking up to the side of the man's bed, he saw that Naruto was in a dreamless sleep. He stopped drying his hair and watched the peaceful expression on the boy's face. He'd never seen Naruto this calm before, it was a bit unnerving.

His fingers twitched, and his body pleaded with him to reach out and touch the boy, but his mind protested against his wishes. He cursed and balled his hands into fists, the damp towel fluttering to the floor. Damn him and his untamable libido. But curse Naruto too, for being this venerable and not letting Sasuke into his life. Oh, the things he wanted to do.

He leaned in closer and observed the blonde more closely. No snoring, no drooling, no twitching...

Sasuke flicked Naruto on the nose.

The blonde man jolted upward and cupped his abused area. "Ow! What was that for?" he glared at Sasuke with venom lacing his words.

"For faking and trying to trick me." he turned and started to walk towards the window.

"Hmph, you were the one staring. How was I supposed to sleep with you doing that?!"

Sasuke stopped and turned his head. "I was not staring."

"Like heck you weren't! I could practically _feel_ you breathing over me!" Naruto paused and thought. He continued with a mischievous grin, blue eyes glinting. "And don't pretend you didn't like what you saw."

The raven snorted and continued on, jumping out into the night a little too quickly than he should have. Naruto was sure to notice. He mentally smacked himself.

**XXXBEMINEXXX**

He never liked Sakura before. In fact, he loathed her to the ends of the world a few years ago. The reason for that was still unknown to him. But it was only recently that began to like and respect her. The way she treated and looked at him was different than it was when she was younger, it was no longer obsessive and foolish to him like it was before. Her emerald gaze was somewhat wise and calm in his presence now, no longer searching for what he thought of her. She wasn't a girl anymore, always following him like some kind of freak.

The Sakura he knew now treated him like any other person. She didn't swoon or miss a beat when he talked to her, never tried in vain to lace her words with honey. She was calm and collected.

And that was Sasuke's downfall. Now that he wasn't trying to avoid her like the plague, he noticed things about her he never would have before. The way she walked, swaying her hips and taunting him all the while. The way she spoke, a graceful yet commanding edge to her tone always. And the way she smelled, yes _smelled_, like her name suggested, cherry blossoms. But it held a musty scent to it too. Womanly and alluring.

He was always trying to contain himself around her now. He didn't want her to turn back into the fangirl she was before. So he kept up the charade that he wasn't interested at all. He needed to wait until the right time. To make it so fast and unpredictable, when she wouldn't be trying to impress him.

The yearly Sakura blossom festival.

This was exactly what he needed. And even better...

"This year, you two will be helping guard the area around the Hokage tower, together."

"Yes, milady."

"Hn."

Sasuke looked away, trying to look completely uninterested while he balled his fists at his sides in suppressed anticipation . From the corner of his eye he saw Sakura look at him, sadly. This was either going to be the easiest thing he ever did...or the most difficult night of his life.

"Have fun you two." Tsunade looked at Sasuke with a glint in her eyes. Sakura looked between the two of them.

Sasuke glared. '_She planned this!_' He glared even harder. Tsunade just smirked back at him, that evil glint never leaving. '_But...I guess I should be grateful..._'

"Um...Milady...May I ask...What are you doing in Naruto's desk?" Sakura looked at her confusedly. Her question did make sense. What was the former Hokage doing in the new one's desk?

"Good question, and the answer to that is--"

At the moment she was answering Sakura, Naruto burst in the door, panting harder than a dog in heat. "_Hag_!!" he shouted at her, jabbing a finger in her direction.

"Uh...Hi brat..." she sweat dropped.

"_Get the hell out of my desk_!" he commanded. Naruto walked up to the large wooden desk and slammed his right palm on it. He slumped and tried to regain his breath. "Right..._Now_." The blonde lifted his head and gave her a death glare.

Tsunade glared right back, lifting her glass of sake and taking a huge gulp. "Huh, I thought you were at the ninja academy." she drawled.

"Because you told me there was an emergency!" he screamed back at her.

Tsunade edged back in her chair a little. "...And...there wasn't?"

"_No_, there wasn't. Wanna tell me _why_ you old hag?"

Sasuke watched with amusement. How was it possible that someone could pout and glare at the same time? Naruto was the only one he knew that could pull it off and not look like an idiot...Well, not a complete one anyway. He followed the blonde man intently. Naruto was fuming.

"Yes, there was an emergency going on."

"Like what?!"

"They were out of juice for their lunch break." Tsunade stated, completely serious.

Naruto just stared at her, a dumbfounded expression in place. "And that's why you said I needed to rush there...'_Immediately_'?" he glared again. "You really are getting senile!" he deflated and muttered under his breath. "Unnnhh...Just get outta my desk." he whined to her.

She frowned at him. "Nice way to treat your elders, brat. Maybe I shouldn't have chosen you to take my place. A Hokage has to be--"

"--Strong, wise, respectful, able to protect his village, and courageous." Naruto finished for her. "I got it."

Sasuke was surprised. When had he been able to memorize things that accurately?

"Ah, that's very good. You know it, but can you fulfill it?" Tsunade stood and walked over to Naruto, placing both hands on his shoulders. "I'm sure you'll be a great leader for this village. I'm proud...but remember what you have to do. You've become a fine man, now become an even greater Hokage."

Naruto smiled up at her. "Thanks...I will..."

Sakura smiled and giggled. "You two are like a mother and son, I swear." she shook her head and continued to smile.

Naruto turned his head stare at her. "Ah! Sakura-chan! Why are you here?" he pointed at her, just noticing she was there. "Come to visit me, huh? Change your mind about my invitation?" he waggled his eyebrows.

"Tch. I'm here too, stupid. Tsunade had us summoned." Sasuke didn't look at Naruto. He was jealous for both of them. While he liked Naruto, the blonde still liked Sakura and thought of Sasuke as his rival. Sasuke didn't like the fact that Naruto didn't like him and that he was trying to get Sakura. He wanted them both...but he didn't want them to fall for each other. Good thing Sakura didn't like Naruto.

"Hey! Don't call me stupid!" Naruto glared. "And I wasn't talking to you!"

"Sorry, Naruto. I have to guard the Hokage tower tonight." Sakura piped up. "Though I wouldn't have said 'yes' anyway, you know that." she waged a finger at him. "Don't ask every day."

"Aw...Why not? I'd treat you to ramen!" he grinned.

"Naruto! Just...Oh, never mind. It's useless trying to convince you." she gave him a half smile. "Always the same old Naruto..."

Sasuke watched the two interact. '_Or maybe...She does like him..._' he glared and walked out of the room. "I'll see you later Sakura. Don't be late." he slammed the door behind him.

Naruto looked at the door, confused. "What's his problem?" he crossed his arms behind him. He tilted his head. "And what..." a realization dawned on him. He pointed at Sakura "You're going on a date with him, aren't you, Sakura-chan!"

"Baka."(1) Tsunade whapped him on the head. "Don't make accusations. She's guarding the tower with him tonight."

"And then you're going on a date!" he shouted at her.

He got hit on the head again. "No, you idiot!" Sakura shouted. "We're guarding the tower, _that's it_!" she couldn't help the heat that rose to her cheeks. Though she got over Sasuke a great deal, she still had some feelings for him. She cupped her face in her hands and turned away, having every intention of leaving that second.

"Sakura," Tsunade called to her. "Be careful when you're guarding the place."

Naruto and Sakura both looked at her with weird expressions. Sakura tried to ask a question, but Tsunade walked out of the room before she could utter a word. "Oh, that's strange, why would Tsunade-sama warn me...?" Sakura wondered aloud. She seen Naruto shrug beside her.

"Who knows? She's always got something weird to say. Old people do that a lot, ya know?" he sighed and walked over to his desk, plopping down in the chair. "Say, why don't you ever want to go on a date with me? Don't you want a chance being with the Hokage?" he smirked and cracked open one of his eyes. He was met with something hitting in the face, sending him crashing to the floor.

"Cha! Yeah right! Quit begin perverted and do your work!" she shook an angry fist at him and slammed the door in a somewhat similar fashion that Sasuke had. She walked down the hallway in a flurry. Her face was beat red. "Stupid, perverted baka..."

In the Hokage office, Naruto was on the floor...Knocked out. "Eh...Sa-Sakura...chan..." little orange swirls were in the place of his eyes. "Ouch..."

**XXXBEMINEXXX**

Sasuke leaned on the comforting support of the wall, watching his counterpart from the corner of his peripheral vision. She was watching the night sky calmly, leaning up against the wall like he was. The moon was out and bright, just days away form being completely full, stars danced in the black blanket like a painted canvas, looking like fireflies the way they shone to their fullest.

The festival was going beautifully. People dressed in traditional attire, kimonos and fake blades for the non-shonobi's, masks, sandals, the whole charade. Shop keepers sold extra things just for the festival, flower shops sold Sakura blossoms, and the volunteers--mostly coming form the ninja academy--set up small booths for the night and to make some extra money. The bustle from the high point of the town was reaching Sasuke's ears in a dull hum.

Sakura and Sasuke looked on, almost completely oblivious to the noise of the city. They were both too caught up in their own thoughts. Sakura, thinking about how much she wanted to see this years fireworks. And Sasuke, thinking of what he could do at this point to make his subtle approach.

He fingered the lint in his pocket as he wondered what he could do. As he closed his eyes and tried to block everything out Sakura's scent wafted to him, making his thoughts blurred. He snapped his eyes open and tried to concentrate harder. He shifted for a better position and regained his trail of thought.

He could just take her right now, but that wouldn't do too much for his cause. He wanted to make her fall for him, make the feelings mutual but not obsessive. That was going to be hard to do, but if he waited...

"Sasuke, don't you think the fireworks will be beautiful tonight? I always love seeing them every year..." Sakura looked up at the sky. She knew the fireworks would be lit up soon. The anticipation that she endured throughout the week was all going to be worth it to see this.

Sasuke didn't reply, instead, he gazed at Sakura. Her hair framed her face perfectly, swaying in the wind like reeds. '_Fireworks..._'

Suddenly, the air lit up in blazing glory as the first firework was presented. The crowd below 'ooh-ed' in amazement. Soon after, more of the same loud 'booming' of the nights show was heard. The sky lit up with the explosives, making Sakura's eyes shine. Sasuke found the lighting pleasant.

The raven-haired teen formed a plan in his head. "Sakura, want to go to the roof. You'll be able to see them better." he began walking up the steep incline of the building, chakra shining from the soles of his feet. The sentence sounded more like a statement than a question.

Sakura watched him get farther away a little panicked. She wasn't sure if that was an order or a request...But it had her cheeks flared up in no time at all. She followed with a little more hesitation. She got to the top of the roof a bit after him, amazed at how high up it was. The sky blared up again. Sakura gaped at the beauty. She watched the sky as she walked to Sasuke's side, a light smile creeping to her face. '_It was nice of him to suggest this..._'

Sasuke looked over at Sakura. With swift fingers, he grabbed her by the jaw and turned her head towards him. He looked deep into her eyes, trying to send an unreadable message. His eyes became soft, reassuring, and he leaned in closer.

Just as he was about to close the distance between them...

"AAAHHHH!!"

Sakura connected her fist to his jaw, making his head snap to the left.

He stared in mild shock at the ground. '_Did Sakura just...' _he turned his head to look at her. '_Hit me?!_'

She looked just as shocked as he was, standing there holding her fist to her chest. Sakura looked like a deer in the headlights. "Ah..." she hesitated. Her green eyes shifted and she started. "Oh! You're bleeding! I'm so sorry!" she came closer to the man, inspecting his cheek by twisting and turning it in her grasp. "Oh, Sasuke! I'm so so so sorry!" she fretted over him like a mother hen. Her brows furrowed in agitation.

Sasuke smiled lightly at her reaction, wincing as she held his abused cheek. He grabbed her wrist and brought it to his mouth. He kissed it gently. "It's fine..." He was happy with her reaction, very happy. It was more than he could have asked.

He smiled at her and let her out of his grasp. "Let's get back to guarding this place." he started to walk down the side of the building, his smile still in place. He heard Sakura agree and her soft footfalls following behind him.

'_One down..._'

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**There! Hope you liked it! And as for the Yaoi...It's coming. Oh, you better believe it's comin'. (laughs)(unintended pun) **

**Ahaha. I have NO experience in writing SasuSaku...or any Het pairing for that matter...Yaoi is my forte. On my other site, All twenty+ stories are based on SasuNaru...So, anyone in for helping out the noob? It'd be greatly appreciated.**

**Reviews would be appreciated too! Just because I love to write, doesn't mean that I don't love to hear people's opinions and views! Criticism is welcome too, anything to help!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the wait! But I was contemplating a plot for this... and I don't have one yet...Ahaha. But here's something you Sakura haters might like! I've realized that for the sake of the 'plot' I need some bashing... which I hate to do, but I have to. Not in this chapter but in the future. So it's something to look forward to.**

**ANYWAY! I don't know why, but this chapter seems really awkward. So read at your own risk. Also, I have no beta so if there's any typos I apologize in advance! I hope you like it though! Say 'YAY!' for SasuNaru!**

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_**CHAPTER TWO**_

Naruto pouted. He didn't want to be the one to do this. Deciding the teams for the new genin was hard. And he was here all day too. He would rather be out training, but if he didn't finish soon Tsunade would have his head. First, he had to see the personalities of them all to fit them all together. Then he had to search for all their grades in the huge pile of crap on his desk. And finally...he had to make sure they would work well together.

_'Hmph. The old man didn't have such a good sense with this stuff! Look at what happened to my team!'_

He sighed long and heavily. His bangs stuck to his forehead from the late spring heat. His robes were spewed on the ground, leaving him in only his pants and Hokage hat. The blonde hoped silently that he remembered to lock his door and no one would come through the window. His office looked like shit and he didn't want another lesson on 'cleanliness is godliness'.

Something caught his eye. '_Team seven..._' he looked down at the paper displayed in front of him. A new team seven had already been created before...But it still brought back memories to see it every now and then. Even now, team seven would always be himself, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura in his mind. No one--not even Sai or Yamato--could change that.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair and leaned back. He needed a rest. Something to get him back into the beat. Maybe a stop by Ichiraku's wouldn't hurt...

A knock at his door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in."

Naruto jumped when he saw who it was and started to grab as much clothing as he could, just remembering that he was half naked. "Ack! Sasuke! Why are you here?!"

Said man winced at the overly-loud tone and grumbled. "Why are you so loud?" he smirked at the idiot's fussing. He could sit in a bathhouse filled with naked men, but he couldn't stand to be seen by one more alone in his office? _'Stupid Naruto.'_

Naruto managed to get his robe on. He straitened his hat and sat up. "Ah, well, why are you here?"

"Tsunade sent me to pick up the new team arrangements for the genin." a frowned marred his face when Naruto looked away. "Aren't you done yet?" his suspicions were confirmed when Naruto mumbled something under his breath. "You total moron..."

Sasuke glided to his Hokage's side, leaning over the side of the man. The papers he assumed to be the genin format were strewn all over Naruto's desk. "Loser...Why are they scattered all over? You can't get anything done right, can you?"

Naruto would have retorted if it weren't for the warm breath that caressed his ear. The fluttering in his stomach made him want to pull the sensation closer, to feel more of it. Naruto blushed at the thought, making the hot air and close proximity even more strenuous.

"Sasuke...What are you doing?" he couldn't help but ask, he never felt Sasuke this close before, only when they were sparring. "I can do this myself. Leave me alone."

The raven looked down at the blushing man. He smirked. To make Naruto like this was unintentional, but he wasn't going to complain. "Hn. I'm helping you with this whether you like it or not, since it's the only way it'll ever get done." he reached over Naruto's shoulder and grabbed a pen. "You should put these two together. Their strengths and weaknesses compliment each other." he pointed with the pen to a small red-headed boy and a brunette. One was grinning, while the other looked completely unfazed. "And..." he leaned closer to the blonde's ear, quieting his voice to a small whisper.

"They're already together anyway...So it would just make it more convenient for them."

Naruto jumped from his chair. "H-how do you know that?!"

Sasuke looked up at Naruto, straitening his posture. "It's pretty obvious. They're at each other's houses all the time even though they fight a lot. And that one is always groping him." he pointed to the red-head and then the brunette. "I think they're a cute couple." he said with a completely strait face.

"Ah! You-you pervert! No one would notice that but _you_!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke, a horrified expression in place. He could believe Sasuke was acting so calm about this!

"I'm not the only one. Kakashi's noticed too. He thinks the same." Sasuke replied mono-toned.

"Bu--! Another pervert noticed! That's very shocking!" he yelled sarcastically.

"No, we're not perverts--I'm not anyway--we're just very perceptive."

"Oh well! I'm not putting them together!" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest defiantly.

"Why not? I think it would be interesting. They'd be happy too, just think about what they could do on missions." Sasuke's voice was velvet again, caressing Naruto's body.

The blonde shuddered and blushed vividly. He didn't want the mental images to come, but they did full force. Panting, sweating, shuddering, touching, moving, caressing, thrus--All the pictures came intensely, making Naruto turn every shade of red possible. Why the hell did he even close his eyes? It was making it worse. He was turning into a pervert...

"See? Now don't you want them to be together?" Sasuke was right beside the blue-eyed man now. He was glad that Naruto seemed to not mind the idea of homosexuals. It actually aroused him, determining from the shivering he was doing. That just made it easier.

"No!" Naruto shouted. He swung his arms in front of him, trying to will away the images. "That would distract them!" he backed up, not realizing that Sasuke was behind him. He crashed into a hard chest.

"Hm. Didn't distract me." Sasuke breathed into his ear.

"That was different! We weren't...weren't..." he didn't step forward or away from Sasuke, he was too absorbed in his mental turmoil to think about anything else.

"Gay?" Sasuke was trying very hard not to wrap his arms around that perfect waist. Trying to restrain himself from moving his hands up and down that toned chest, feeling every curve, every muscle...

_Trying_ being the key word. He placed one of his hands lightly on the curve of Naruto's hip, gently enough so the boy didn't notice. He let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes.

Naruto's face flared up. "Ack! Don't say that! And...yeah!"

Sasuke laughed. "Say what? _Gay_?" he let his fingers play with the hem of the man's jeans.

Naruto stepped away from Sasuke, throwing his arms up. "Don't say it!"

"Say what?" Oh, this was just too much fun. His hand jolted back to his side before the Hokage could notice.

"Don't say...You know what I mean!" he glared.

"No, I don't know what you mean. Tell me."

"Ugh...Don't say...GAY." he cast his eyes down.

"Why not? Kiba's gay." Sasuke said it like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Naruto gaped. "What?! With _who_!?"

"Shino." Sasuke waved his hand. He was done with having fun, now the only important thing was getting the things done that Naruto couldn't. "Now come one. We need to finish these." he walked back over to the desk and sat down in the overly large chair that Naruto insisted to be put in his office. He ruffled through some of the papers and scribbled things down. When Naruto didn't join him after a long while he looked over at the blonde in question.

Naruto was shaking with suppressed laughter. His face was red with a hand clamped over his mouth. Some giggles escaped until full out laughs filled the room. The blonde held his sides and continued the hysterics. "I...can't...believe...he's...gay!" he said between giggles. "And with bug boy!"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "Yes, he is. Now would you please come and do your job, Hokage-sama?"

Naruto paused his giggling and stared at Sasuke. "Is there...Something wrong with you?" he went over and placed a hand on the man's forehead, it was promptly smacked away. "Nope! Still an ass!" he smiled and trotted to the boy's side. _'Hokage-sama? What the hell was that for? It must be his time of the month.'_ he chuckled to himself. If Sasuke ever heard what he thought about...he'd be dead.

They worked in comfortable silence. Naruto too dumb to care about anything awkward that happened, and Sasuke too bored and focused on his work to care. While Naruto worked beside him, leaned over the desk with his tongue sticking out in thought, Sasuke let his eyes roam over the blonde's body and made sure the chair was a fair enough distance away. Naruto was bent over the large wooden desk, ass sticking out for his viewing pleasure. He cupped his hands together behind his head in a way to keep them from reaching out. He could look, but he couldn't touch.

Sasuke bit his bottom lip every time Naruto shifted his position to get comfortable, which was a lot because the man was very fidgety to begin with. All he wanted to do was reach out and smac--

"Hey, hey Sasuke! What about these three?"

The raven halted with his hand already reached out. He retracted it and leaned forward in the chair. "Yeah? What about them?"

"Do you think they'll make a good team?" Naruto looked back at Sasuke to get clarification. His eyes shone with determination.

He nodded. "Yeah, they'll be fine together." and they were too. The team Naruto suggested reminded him a little of Shikamaru's old team. It was made of Chougi's daughter, Ino's son, and Shikamaru's foster brother--Kurenai's son. A nice team indeed. Well balanced and proportioned.

Naruto looked back at the rest of the papers. "And you're sure that...these two should be together?" his cheeks dusted red.

Sasuke didn't even have to look at the paper to know what he was talking about. "Yeah, they're perfect." he smirked. "Just like we were."

Naruto scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. And we were such good teammates to begin with." he stood up and fixed his robes. Out of the corner of his eye he looked at Sasuke. "And...thanks for the help." he gave a lop-sided smile.

Sasuke smiled in return. "Yeah, anytime."

**XXXBEMINEXXX**

Sakura's heart swooned. She felt so light all of the sudden. It wasn't like she thought it would feel like, to know that Sasuke had some feelings for her. It was...so different then she always felt before. More..._real_. Not unrequited. She felt like Sasuke really liked her too.

But Sakura knew she didn't fully own his heart. Not yet. She would have to work hard to have a mutual feeling of love between them. The girl would make sure to do her part in this too. She wouldn't be the sniveling cry baby. Unable to do anything but whine and beg for what she wanted.

She couldn't be the girl she was before, not even if she wanted to. Sakura seen Sasuke in a new light now. She knew him as a person, and not just the guy of her dreams. The relationship she wanted with him was going to be real, something they both wanted and strived for. She was going to be someone Sasuke could be proud to call his lover. She swooned with the thought and tried to will the image away. She had to concentrate. If she wanted to get the respect out of Sasuke she'd always wanted, she'd have to work even harder.

Sakura fisted her hands, making the leather gloves on her hands crinkle. She prepared to defend herself from the oncoming attack. The girl knew it was coming, she couldn't see it, but she knew.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement in the grass and ducked just in time for the weapons to pass over her head. She countered with her own kunai and waited for the enemy to avoid the knives and reveal himself.

She was a little surprised when something grabbed her leg. She twisted her ankle painfully and got out of the strong grasp. Sakura reared back and aimed a punch to the ground. The earth beneath her split open, revealing her rival. She smirked in triumph and charged for her target. Sakura's right hand glowed as she prepared the attack.

With even swifter movements than the pink-haired kunoichi, Yamato ducked the well aimed punch and grabbed the woman's wrist. He grunted and threw her over his shoulder. She scrambled a little before regaining her footing and swung her leg at his own. He jumped back and blocked several punches she threw at him.

A little while after, Yamato stood in the middle of the clearing, panting from exhaustion. Sakura was getting better and better every day. Her stamina was already more than his own. She truly was a prodigy in her own way. She was able to distribute chakra perfectly without wasting any and was already a master at medical ninjutsu--just behind Tsunade--and her athleticism was excellent.

This new generation would really be his downfall.

He wasn't able to block the next punch as it hit him square in the gut. He hunched over and gripped painfully at it, skidding a few feet back. He fell to the ground and held up his hands in defeat. "Okay, you win. Just go easy on me, 'kay?" he smiled and grabbed Sakura's hand as it was offered.

"Sorry about that. I got a little carried away." she smiled sheepishly and started to walk with him after he dusted himself off.

"No, no. You're supposed to go all out! And you did excellently. I'll have to tell Tsunade later. She's sure to be proud that you beat me." he grinned over at her.

Sakura laughed. "Yeah, if she's not mourning still..." her face became grave. She looked down at the ground.

"How long has it been?" Yamato asked her in a quiet tone. He bowed his head as well.

"Four years..."

"...I see..."

**XXXBEMINEXXX**

Sasuke listened intently to the soft 'teptep' noise his feet made as they made contact with the cobblestone sidewalk beneath him. In his hand he carried one single cut flower. He didn't see why he needed more than one.

From the sound of it, Tsunade was already here, mumbling her prayers and news. But Naruto had yet to make his appearance known. '_Where is the idiot?_' He was going to get really pissed if Naruto didn't show himself. It was one thing to be late, but to forget completely? That was just too insane to even think about. And he didn't want to be the only one here to console the former Hokage.

Just as he was about to finish the thought, he heard the tell-tale sound of Naruto's running. Sasuke's eye twitched as he turned around to meet the boy. "Slow down before you hurt someone--"

Naruto, being the idiot he was, didn't even notice there was anyone in front of him, he was far too engrossed in what he was doing. Running. He didn't want Tsunade to get too depressed, but he didn't want to get the snot beat out of him, so he had to stay in the office a while longer to finish reading mission reports. So that was why he was running. That was why he had his eyes closed as he repeated a mantra in his head. And that was why he smacked right into Sasuke, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

"Ooff!" Sasuke got the air knocked out of him as he fell to the stone path, a panting Naruto right above him. He rubbed the back of his head and moaned. Why did he moan? One, because he just got toppled over by his not-so-light friend. And two...

Because Naruto was unconsciously grinding into him.

The blonde squirmed as he tried to get up, which wasn't easy because he was caught on one of Sasuke's straps. He struggled more and apologized. "Ack, sorry...I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's...fine--" the last part turned into a moan. And when had Naruto decided he wanted to be civilized? Maybe it was because Tsunade was just a few meters away. Sasuke could hear her evil cackling in the distance. '_Bitch..._'

Naruto shifted his hips again, trying to see if he could look where his arm was caught behind Sasuke. He knew he was caught on one of the complicated straps that held his shirt together...But which one? "Hey, Sasuke. You need to get up! I can't see where I'm caught!"

Sasuke moaned again. Why? Why was Kami so cruel? "Mm, get off, you loser."

"Hey! Don't call me that! And I can't until you sit up!" Naruto moved so that he was straddling the man.

"I...don't think I can..." Sasuke looked away.

"Aw, quit whining!"

"I'm not...whining." Sasuke tried sitting up, only to moan loudly and return to the same position. He heard another cackle form Tsunade.

Naruto seemed to notice the woman sitting only meters away and called out to her. "Hey! Granny! Help us out!"

Tsunade looked from where she was sitting, the two men looked like small blots from the distance. She could help, sure. But she thought that Sasuke needed this. She was the only one who knew about Sasuke's 'problem'. Besides, she was still preoccupied. She hadn't finished cleaning off the grave. "Have fun kids!" she gave a half smile and resumed with what she was doing.

Sasuke looked down between their bodies, and he saw something he did _not_ want to see. He hoped to god that Naruto didn't notice. He didn't want to see the reaction that 'this' could cause. So, he blushed and tried to shift away from Naruto. "Ah, j-just get off for a second."

"I already told you I can't! I'm caught!" Naruto shouted in his face. Really, how dumb could Sasuke get? He already told him that--

"Mmmn." Sasuke did _not_ need Naruto to do this right now. '_Shit..._'

Naruto paused. He felt something..."Ah, S-Sasuke...W-what's with your pants?" he froze completely, looking at a blushing Sasuke right in the eyes, just centimeters apart.

The brunette looked away embarrassedly. "Um, t-that's...just..." _THINK! _"I-it's my belt!"

"Uh-huh. And why are you wearing a belt? You've never wore a belt before." Naruto stared at him with an accusing blank face.

"It's a belt." Sasuke stared right back, glaring the best he could with a face redder than a tomato. If this was going to be another battle, then he wasn't going to lose. "Now, get _off_."

Sasuke started as extra pressure was asserted to his groin. "A-AH! H-hey! What are you doing?!" the man bit his bottom lip. What was this loser doing?

"Hm, looking for the strap I'm caught on. It's easier like this." the blonde smirked and laid his chin on the fabric of Sasuke's shirt. He looked over the man's shoulder and spotted the little cretin. "Ah, here it is!" he smiled and unhooked himself. He moved his hands up and placed them on Sasuke's shoulders.

"Hah..._There_. Now get off." Sasuke involuntarily ground his hips upward. Having Naruto's whole body weight on him wasn't making this any more comfortable.

"Fine. But don't be such an ass next time you get in my way!" he shouted as he got off his rival.

"_Me_? In _your _way? If I don't remember correctly...it was you that ran into me. Not the other way around, loser." he wiped imaginary dust from his shirt.

Naruto pointed a thumb into his chest. "Hah! I'm the Hokage! So _you_ were in _my_ way!" he crossed his arms over his chest and started to walk towards where Tsunade was.

"Whatever." All he cared about at the moment was the bulge in his pants, and how much he wanted it to go down. But it wasn't going down...because the wind was blowing _towards_ him, making Naruto's scent waft to him. Oh, how he hated the gods right now.

"Hey, granny!" Naruto waved his right hand in the air as a greeting. Tsunade scowled at her protege. "Sorry I'm late. I had to finish those genin papers! How'd ya do it anyway? I can't even stand one hour being cooped up in there!" he said as they homed in on her sitting on the ground neatly.

"Lots of sake you little brat. Now get down here." she pointed downwards to the spot next to her. Naruto plopped down ungracefully and grinned at the stone in front of him.

"How ya doin' you old perv?" he smiled. Jiraiya was lucky enough to have his own grave. His name was also carved on the monument Kakashi always visited, but he had his own as well. It was just one of the many perks of being one of the sannin. "Kakashi's continuing your books...though he's not as fast as you were with writing them. The publisher is always on his tail about it..." he continued to ramble like that, just filling in the rough silence Tsunade brought about.

Sasuke watched from a safe distance away. He clutched the flower in his hand and glanced further down the path. Obsidian eyes looked down at the two blondes. Tsunade looked up at him, seeming to sense his thoughts, and nodded. He bowed his head and left the two alone.

He traveled slowly down the path, kicking up dust and scattering small pebbles. The air around him was pleasantly warm, not moist or dry, but perfect for late spring. The trees rattled and shook with the wind, swirling and rustling sounds filling the atmosphere around him. It was almost too nice, and he hated it. Sasuke wished it wound rain, just to make him feel slightly better. Sunny days weren't his thing. Rain suited him much more.

"Yo." came a voice from behind.

"Hey, Kakashi." Sasuke kept walking, hearing a new set of footsteps join his own.

"What bring you here, Sasuke?" he brought the green book he was reading an inch down to look at the boy. "I didn't think you were the type to bring flowers to someone's grave."

"I was forced to come. I thought I might as well visit while I'm here, and besides...It's better than hanging around _those_ two." he looked back at where he came from. The distant yells of Naruto and Tsunade came from the distance.

"Ah. Anyway, do you have the mission report from last time? I still haven't given it to--Oh, thank you." he smiled and took the parchment Sasuke handed to him. "Ahaha, I'm just glad Naruto isn't as strict as Tsunade was. I'd be dead for having this so late if it was her."

"Yeah, you would." he trudged on, almost not hearing a single word the man said. Every now and again he would give his views , but he was mostly paying attention to where he was going. His family's memorial was at the far end of the gravesite. That was something that the two advisors of the Hokage were responsible for. They had a grudge against his family and whole clan.

"Well, I'll leave you to your grieving." Kakashi disappeared in a small poof of smoke.

Sasuke raised a brow and then shrugged. He supposed Kakashi had a reason for all of the weird things he did.

**--X--**

Tsunade wiped the wetness from her eyes and glared. Stupid Jiraiya. "Well, Naruto?" they were walking now, planning to stop at Ichiraku's for a small lunch together.

"Huh?" Naruto stopped his ranting and looked at the busty blonde. "Waddaya want?"

She cleared her throat. "You haven't forgotten, have you?" she gave him and icy look. "Because if you did...I'll have to appoint a new Hokage."

The boy shrunk back from the hard look and glanced away. "Uh...I didn't forget."

"Then do you know what you were supposed to remember?"

"..No..." he mumbled out.

"You are such a delinquent." she sighed. "The genin papers! You were supposed to bring them."

"Eh? Oh! Yeah, of course I brought 'em!" he pulled out a crushed parcel from his inside jacket pocket. "See!" he grinned as Tsunade snatched them away.

"Don't you know how to organize anything? You're worse than Kakashi." she grunted complaints as she tried to sort through the mess in her hands.

"Yeah, yeah." he crossed his hands behind his head. "Why do I have to show you again? I can do it myself."

"Because you're still technically apprenticing under me. You have a lot of work to do still before you can be a good leader." she eyed the papers. "These are some weird groups. Are you sure?"

"Mm-hm. Sasuke helped me." he smiled at some kids running past. "He said they were all fine, and if a cold icy prick like him likes 'em, they gotta be good."

"Why was Sasuke helping you?" she irked.

"How the heck would I know? He's been helping me a lot lately. Probably just to get more serious missions." he shrugged.

Tsunade smiled. Naruto was still so clueless as to why Sasuke seemed so keen on spending time with him. She was surprised that no one else had figured it out, but she had suspicions that Kakashi knew and maybe even Iruka. The only reason she knew was because...she didn't want to remember. She just prayed he learned to lock doors behind him in the future. "Hey, brat. Why don't you go and spar with the Uchiha today? I think you need some time off from all this hard work."

"Really? Thanks granny!" he grinned over at her.

"But you're buying the ramen."

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**Awww...I just love little pointless SasukexNaruto moments, so I'm hoping you like them too! Again, sorry for any typos... I've tried to get them all out. I re-read this thing over five different times, but knowing me there are probably more than you can count...**

**-Ahem- I'm trying very hard to make a Sakura you can all like! I don't like her attitude in the beginning of the series, but after the time skip she gets...tolerable. So getting her that way in this story is my goal. But flame her if you want, just...don't flame me, ahaha. I'm sensitive.**

_**Thanks for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated!**_

**-dOOdle**


	3. Chapter 3

**It's been much too long since I last updated this damn thing o_o Sorry? Well, sudden inspiration struck to finish this chapter when.... ::drum roll:: I GOT MY NEW LAPTOP! Fuck yeah! X] Sooo, some PWPs on the way along with... updates... I think. Don't get your hopes up... DX I procrastinate too much, I know.**

**So, here's your update and I hope you...**

**_Enjoy :)_**

**_

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_CHAPTER THREE**

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"Sasuke?"

Sakura looked around the room. She was sure she'd seen him come in here a moment ago. It wasn't until she saw the window open that she understood. "Oh, he must be sparring with Naruto then. His sword's gone..." she smiled. "Then I'll just go and spar with them!"

She may still be a little less powerful than them, but she was more than enough to give them both a run for their money. She was smaller, but they were more instinctive and less reliant on their minds. Especially Naruto, having a large demon in him as an influence really made him careless in most of his attacks. Great shinobi or not, Naruto had a long way to go if he wanted to master the demon chakra that resided within.

As Sakura pondered on that thought she hoped silently that she wasn't going to walk in on one of their larger, more severe fights; the one's that usually started with bickering and ended with several large caverns in the middle of some huge field. To say they got a little out of control would be an understatement. One time Naruto had even let two of the Kyuubi's tails come out. And she shivered at the memory when she thought about how her and Tsunade had had to step in to stop Sasuke from being killed.

With some new found determination Sakura fixed the tie in her hair and made sure the hitai-ate on her waist was secured. "Well, time to put them in their place!" she smirked and started off for the training grounds.

_**---------------**_**X**_**-----------------**_

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and attack already." Sasuke shifted his position by scooting his right foot backward, waiting for his blond rival to make a move.

"Hold on! I gotta do this first!" Naruto shouted back.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke was getting impatient. The idiot had failed to do anything for the past five minutes, just standing there with his back turned.

"Just hold it, dammit!" he yelled again over his shoulder, sending a glare toward Sasuke.

Sasuke quirked a brow. He sheathed his blade and quietly walked over to where the other was. He heard muffled curses and curiously peered over the other man's shoulder. "What exactly are yo--"

"Geh!" Naruto twisted from Sasuke's view and sent yet another nasty glare at him. "Hey! What the hell!" he turned and clutched his arm and something to his chest, trying to hide it. "I said wait a minute!"

"Stop trying to hide it, I already saw what you have," he said nonchalantly. "Why the hell are you carrying around my old headband?"

The blond started and spluttered. "N-no reason…" he looked away and finished fastening it to his arm, the task being increasingly difficult having to do it with one hand and a pestering Sasuke constantly yelling at him. "There...all set." He looked at Sasuke, something akin to fire blazing behind his blue eyes.

"If you're done, then I'd like to start now." Sasuke backed away a bit and regained his former stance. He wasn't going to admit it, but inside he was really interested as to why Naruto still had his slashed hitai-ate. He hadn't seen it in years, and now he knew why. All this time he had thought Naruto wanted nothing to do with him, but right here was a hope that his attempts at seduction weren't in vain. "And by the way, don't think I'll forget about this."

"Whatever. Just no using your sword." the young Hokage got into his own stance.

"Why? You've never had any trouble with me using it before."

"And that's the problem! I've never fought you without it and I wanna see if you can beat me without using it."

"Fine. As long as you don't use any kunai. No jutsu either, then?"

"Uh, yeah. 'Kay, I'm ready when you're ready." He didn't let Sasuke answer his question, instead charging head-on towards the brunet at full speed.

'_Stupid. A frontal attack won't--'_ Sasuke was cut off as a punch landed right in his gut, sending him a few feet back. _'What?!'_ he swiveled around. Naruto was gone. His eyes turned a brutal shade of red and he looked around. All that was heard was the soft rustling of leaves as they brushed passed each other in the treetops.

"What's the matter Sasuke? Can't you find me?"

The voice came from behind him. He turned and aimed a punch accordingly. It was easily caught.

Sasuke smirked. "Gotten better, huh? Guess I'll have to get serious." His arm was twisted in the blond's grasp; he twisted with it and got behind the Hokage.

Naruto ducked from Sasuke's kick and jumped a few feet ahead, letting go of Sasuke's hand. He barely dodged the next punch. "Hmph, yeah right! You so know that you didn't see me!" he grinned.

Sasuke frowned and threw a punch, it was caught again. A smirk reappeared on his face as he used his knee to jab the grinning man in the stomach. "You may be fast, but you're always open." He followed up his attack by punching him in the face.

Naruto clutched at his stomach with one hand while holding his nose with the other and cringed. He spat blood at the ground. "Hey, that was cheap! And I thought I said no jutsu!" he glared.

Sasuke waved a hand. "You said no jutsu, but you didn't say we couldn't use chakra."

"Smartass..."

More kicks, punches, insults, and attacks were had and exchanged. Soon, and hour had passed and their newlv victimized training field was torn to nothing but dirt and a few uprooted boulders from within the tattered up earth. Trees were stripped to almost nothing, grass was overturned, shrubs were uprooted, and the wildlife forced to move elsewhere. The area was barren and empty--All except for two tired souls that ceased to give in to the other.

"Morons." Sakura watched with bored eyes as her fellows kept on with their useless attacks. They both knew they would never win against each other, and if it kept going on like it was it was sure to get out of hand. The last time one of them had ever claimed victory was before Naruto had become Hokage---a half a year ago. And that had more to do with the ditsy blond being overexcited about the news, then actually one winning over the other. But Sasuke didn't seem keen on letting Naruto forget that _he_ was the one that had won last.

After a while she grew tired of watching the two and finally yelled out to them. Naruto was the first to respond and bounce over to her, sweating like a pig and panting like an old dog. She plugged her nose and swung out a hand. "Eww! Naruto, you reek! Go take a shower," she complained.

He simply grinned. "That, Sakura, is the smell of a man!"

Sakura hit him on the head. "Too bad. Now go and wash off in that creek over there." She pointed behind her to some bushes and forest that hadn't been victim to their onslaught of stupidity. "It's just behind those trees."

He sulked. "But why?"

"Because if you don't then you don't get the ramen I brought you." She held up a picnic basket from behind her. After she left to find them she had rethought some things on the way and decided it'd be better to bring some food along instead of just going to them for a battle. She knew better than to expect them to be energized enough after battling one another to be able to spare with her, too.

The blonde perked up right away at the mention of his beloved food. "Uh, yeah! I'll go wash up some." He bolted in the direction the girl had pointed to. Honestly, he was just happy she was nice enough to bring him anything at all. If it meant eating something Sakura picked out for him...he'd do anything.

Sakura turned to Sasuke, who had just now walked up. Her cheeks dusted pink as she seen him in all of his shirtless glory, but she chastised herself quickly. _'Idiot! Be normal! _Normal_!'_ she put on a smile and dug through her basket. "Uh... I thought you guys would be hungry after you were done...so I brought some snacks for a quick lunch." She pulled out a rice ball. "Here. Some onigiri!"

Sasuke took it from her outstretched hand and raised a brow. "How'd you know we were here?"

"Do you really think I'm that dumb? I can read chakra signatures, ya know." She began to dig in the basket again to occupy herself from the man in front of her.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! I'm clean now!" Naruto smiled as he ran back up to them.... soaking wet. And without a shirt.

Sasuke got a nose bleed

Sakura gaped.

"N-Naruto...Put your shirt back on," Sasuke mumbled into his hand, blood dripping out of the crevices of his fingers. He kept his eyes down as the blond neared them.

"Yes, please spare us," Sakura said lowly, trying to fight back the blush she could feel. If there was anything that could possibly compete with a shirtless Sasuke--it was an equally shirtless Naruto. She made a note to herself to try and remember the way his muscles flexed as he waved. A shiver coursed down her spine.

"Uh? Oh! Right, sorry," he chuckled and threw his black undershirt on, which was oh so conveniently located a few feet away. His jacket was held in his hand. "Hey, why don't you yell at Sasuke!? I bet he stinks too."

Sakura sighed and hit herself mentally (more to relieve herself of the provocative images than anything else). This was _Naruto_, after all. Nothing to get excited about. "Just never mind it, Naruto. Okay then...let's go someplace...that isn't all torn up." she cast her eyes around the area.

"Huh? What's wrong with--Hey! What happened! Why's this place look so horrible?" Naruto looked around curiously, shielding his eyes with his hand from the blaring sun.

Sakura and Sasuke's eyebrows twitched.

"Oh, well! Let's go back there then! The stream's really cool." he smiled and began walking to where he had just come from.

Sakura looked at the blood on Sasuke's hand curiously and handed him a napkin from her basket, choosing to ignore it. They followed the blonde into the bushes and followed the sound of running water and Naruto's booming calls. After they all settled by the water's edge Sakura handed out the food and tried her hand at making a conversation. "So, what were you two sparring for anyway?" Not that she needed an answer to that one, she was just trying to get a little talking going.

Naruto finished swallowing his mouthful of food to answer. "Granny said I should take some time off." he continued to eat his food ravenously.

"Oh. Why'd she do that? Lady Tsunade's the one that's making you work so hard. I wonder why she had a change of heart." Sakura looked thoughtful for a second, munching on her dumpling peacefully. Naruto shrugged.

Sasuke looked on blankly, eating the onigiri Sakura had brought. _'I bet I can guess why.'_ he looked over at Naruto. _'She's trying to torment me.'_

"Well, anyway." Sakura started, regaining Sasuke's attention. "I was going to help you two train, but I guess you're tired out now." she furrowed her brows. "So...I guess you wouldn't be up for another fight now." she sighed. "And I wanted to test out this new technique too."

Naruto perked up at the last part. "New technique?"

"Yeah. Yamato's been helping me perfect it, along with my fighting skills and stamina." the girl smiled proudly. "I can even beat him now."

"Wow, Sakura-chan!" he looked at her, admiration gleaming in his eyes. "I can help you...if you want." he looked away, suddenly embarrassed.

"I'd love your help." she smiled sweetly at him, and the smirked. "Let's just see if you can handle it.

"Of course I can! The Rokudaime can handle anything!" he proclaimed, standing as he did so.

"Sit down, idiot. We're still eating."

Sakura and Naruto both looked at Sasuke simultaneously. Naruto sat back down and glared. "What's your problem?"

Sasuke grunted.

"Uh...I need your help too Sasuke. I mean...If you don't have anything to do right now." Sakura looked down at her hands as they fidgeted in her lap. Her mind screamed at her for acting so stupid, again.

The older man stood. "Actually, I do. Kakashi and I have a training session." his hands were stuffed in his pockets as he turned and left without another word.

Sakura stared after his retreating form with a solemn look. _'What's wrong with him? He was being so nice the other night...' _Inwardly, she chastised herself for being obnoxiously fangirlish, knowing it was probably the reason he acted to coldly. She looked down at her hands.

Naruto glared as Sasuke left. _'Stupid Sasuke! He just had to ruin the mood!'_ he blinked as Sakura stood next to him, his anger dissipating at the look she sported. Naruto suddenly got worried. "Uh...You're not going to leave, are you?" Blue eyes pleaded to her, asking silently for her to stay and give him company.

The pink haired girl smiled down at him. "Of course not. I still have to pummel you to the ground!" she placed her hands at her hips.

Naruto grinned broadly. "Humph! Let's see ya try!"

_**---------------**_**X**_**-----------------**_

Sasuke watched his two teammates from his perch on a nearby tree. His eyes were slits, concentrated on every movement, every subtle shift they made as they moved next to each other or came in contact. He knew that if they did anything other than friendly combat he would intervene.

When he first decided that he wanted them both he hadn't taken into account how close they'd gotten while he was away and seeking his revenge. In his absence they had grown a firm bond with each other that teetered on the edge of friendship, going into romantic terms. They just didn't realize it yet, which was a good thing, because if they did...

Sasuke growled lowly and clenched his fists.

No, he would not think about that, because it wouldn't happen. He'd have them both soon. Nothing to worry about.

"Nice move, Sakura-chan!"

"You too, Naruto!"

...

"Fuck."

Sasuke leaned into the trunk of the large oak he was seated on. He fingered the knockout gas in his pocket--his alternative. He couldn't use his sharingan for everything, could he? His last resort was to get them both unconscious at the same time, bring them to his apartment, then do whatever the hell he wanted to do with them from there. Which is why he always had this other thing in his pocket. A small tube of lubricant, just in case. Plan B was already in the works.

He planned on going through with plan A...

Sasuke glared and continued to observe. Sakura had become better, swiftly dodging most of Naruto's attacks and even landing a few of her own. Though he could tell the blonde was going easy on her some, and his earlier battle with himself had clearly worn the man out. But the way he was moving proved that it was mostly just him being gentle with the woman, the way he blocked her and purposefully missed hitting her. It was like some Naruto version of flirting.

He scoffed and closed his eyes, intent on trying to ignore the jealousy he was feeling. It was bad enough he wanted Sakura, but when Naruto gave his attention to her--the attention that _he_ wanted to himself--it made his blood boil. He needed a way to get over that, or at least a way to have Naruto to himself. He'd have to do the same for Sakura too.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. _'Damn, this is complicated.'_

"Waaah! S-Sakura-chan, that was awesome!"

"Thanks, Naruto."

Sasuke could hear the happiness in their voices. He scowled and leaned in to hear better. From the far distance he couldn't make out a lot. They were talking some now, Naruto's head was bowed. Sakura was addressing him.

"R-really, Sakura-chan?!" Came Naruto's loud, booming voice. It seemed ecstatic.

"What?" Sasuke mumbled. All he could see was the blurry outline of Sakura's and Naruto's frame as they walked away together. His eyes narrowed and he leapt to go and follow the pair to make sure nothing else occurred.

Apparently he had missed out on Sakura's awesome new technique, and now they were off on a date to celebrate Sakura's victory over the Hokage. Sasuke seethed inside, hoping vainly that there was some way he could be in the place of both of them and magically be able to go on a date with both at the same—

Sasuke stopped mid-motion from landing on a tree branch. But there _was_ a way to go on a date with both of them. And even better, if Naruto did happen to go more on the heterosexual side of things, there was a way for that, too. All Sasuke had to do was put his sharingan to more… recreational purposes to better suit his needs, and he was all set. But then the problem in that lay with where Naruto's feelings for Sakura were. If Naruto really were in love with her, then what he planned wouldn't work at all.

But if that idiot was open to new ideas, then…

His paranoia for his old teammates quickly dissipated and he disappeared from his spot to go plan, unaware that lofty eyes had just seen and calculated his every move.

_**---------------**_**X**_**-----------------**_

Sasuke placed himself on the water's edge, getting ready for his prey to make a most predictable move. A half hour's wait was all he had to endure for that, and he was grinning like a Cheshire cat when it all worked out.

Just like he had planned, Naruto was at the bathhouse for his break. And just as planned, he used his trademark Sexy Justsu to get in, only to get the snot beat out of him for even trying in the first place. That was when Sasuke made his move.

Quietly, he let his sharingan do the rest and copied the move to perfection, trying it out a ways away with the sound of Naruto's pained yells as encouraging background music. If this worked out correctly, Naruto wouldn't be visiting any more bathhouses any time soon.

---

It was a half hour later that Sasuke realized this was going to be harder than he thought. He didn't only have to concentrate on keeping his form and posture up as he walked, but he also had to keep up with the shadow clone and transformation, as Naruto's jutsu was more than just an allusion. He actually went into detail by making his hormones change as well, making the change from alto to soprano more believable. Somehow, and another hour later, Sasuke suddenly had a new appreciation for the Sexy Jutsu.

"God… dammit," he cursed under his breath, hunched over in exhaustion. It seemed Naruto didn't want any one else to copyright his move, so he made it damn near impossible for anyone else to learn. It had obviously modified it since his days as a genin, but what about this could be so hard? It was just simple shape manipulation for crying out loud!

"Having troubles, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke spun around, scared half to death by the sudden appearance. "Wha--?"

The woman smirked. "What? Can't I visit you, or is that a crime too now?" her glasses glinted with her mischief, something Sasuke was all too happy to be rid of when he came back to Konoha, but unfortunately as their former leader, he had had no choice but to lead him to his home and command them not to lay any harm on it by forcing them to become civilians.

When Akatsuki had been forced to disband by none other than Naruto Uzumaki and all of Konoha themselves, Sasuke also had no say in the matter and he was forced into crawling back to them on his hands and knees, half dead from the surrounding countries diseases. It was Naruto that had found him, and even then he was unwilling to go and put up one hell of a fight. In the end Naruto had won and he had to come back, but it was his decision to stay ultimately, though he still wondered why sometimes.

But team Hawk, that was another matter altogether.

When he had left them Karin, Suigetsu and Juugo wreaked some of their own havoc, going to village after village pillaging their splendors and coming back with all the benefits. Karin and Suigetsu let Juugo do the leading, following behind his path of destruction to where he went off to kill. As they neared closer and closer to Suna, Konoha had no choice but to intervene, and Sasuke was recruited to tag along to stop his lackeys.

That was how Sasuke had been put off of his probation and was allowed to do mostly all the missions normal Konoha citizens were allowed. By stopping Juugo and putting Suigetsu and Karin in jail he was given freedom.

Too bad for him, Konoha had made him soft by that time—he asked for all three of them to be released on special circumstances.

They were stripped of their shinobi abilities, unable to do anything inside of a hundred mile radius. Forced to live out the rest of their lives as normal human beings; there were no more ninja abilities to help them out.

And as such, he was sometimes obligated to visit them for their monthly checkups, and it just so happened that he had forgotten in the last thirty days or so.

"Karin," he greeted. "What are you doing here?"

Her eyes narrowed to thin strips, voice leveled to a viper-like seductive form as she held out a vile. "Helping you, apparently."

* * *

**"Seven months for _that_?! Screw you!"**

**Yes, yes. Throw your rotten fruit. But I think I'll live... in peace with my new laptop X)**

**No, seriously. I apologize for making you wait so long. Truth of the matter: I get sick way too much. No really. I go to the hospital, like, twice a month and it sucks. I have no free time because of my school work--it tends to pile up. And plus, I plan to take Trigonometry in... I think a year or so. Depends on if I even get that far.**

**So, tell me how you feel about this chapter? Sil vous plait? (Haha, I'm Spanish and I'm taking French XD [...Spanish was filled up .])  
**


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